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the hypen used in email signatures

Here's an example:

Hi there Bob,
I hope all is well. When do you think I could get my yellow matter transmuter back?
-matt
It's kinda funny when people put hypens before their name when signing an email. Why is that? So your name is differentiated from the rest of email? Is it avoiding the use of a salutation?

The hyphen also functions as a minus sign. So it's like saying "matt out" or "subtract one of me." How weird. Maybe it would be more nice to sign emails with a plus sign "+matt" or even a MULTIPLY sign "*matt" No, that's more an asterick--especially how the asterick is at the bottom of the email. How about a divide sign? "/matt" that looks very programmie.


Posted by: spudart on Mar 10, 05 | 8:12 am  |   [38615] Hits  |   permalink

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I often sign e-mails with a double hypen "--tom", i.e. a dash (the dash is not to be confused with its little brother, the hyphen!). I think the single hyphen is rather lame, the double hyphen somewhat better, sans hyphen a bit barren.

But you're right, we need something better. Square brackets "[tom]" aren't so bad, eh?

Posted by: tom sherman on Mar 11, 05 | 8:55 am


i've been signing my emails with a single hypen for years. here's how it looks:

-erik

i like the idea how the hyphen is an extension of that horizontal line in the "e". Though from that example it looks like the hyphen and the line in the "e" don't line up. At least they line up in theory.

i like signing with the lower case "e" instead of the upper case "E". I don't know why.

Posted by: unlikelymoose on Mar 11, 05 | 12:22 pm


perhaps a nice colon would be uh... nice.

:matt

Using the colon at the end of an email makes your name function as an appositive to the rest of the letter.

Posted by: spudart on Mar 14, 05 | 8:46 pm


1. I think the tradition of the hyphen comes from those quotes dumb peple are always quoting: "'Blah, blah, blah.' -Einstein." It should really be an em-dash, though.

2. The / is used in a lot of community blogs, and has a specific use. "I'm totally the best ever. /sarcasm" is one example. It's like closing an html tag.

3. The word is asterisk.

/righteous prickery

-telly

Posted by: telly on Mar 15, 05 | 3:30 am


please show how to sign my signature
butwrong please correct me and proceed

Posted by: ode dennis adoga on May 12, 06 | 6:03 pm


I've been called "artistic" for using the tilde.

~Ken

Oh, and erik, I think the lower case signature is unassuming and friendly. Or maybe, "you're too cool to capitalize."

Also, the double-hyphen/dash will trigger Mozilla Thunderbird to grey the following lines as a signature.

Posted by: Ken on Jul 24, 06 | 3:53 pm


huh, that's kinda neat that Thunderbird will gray the lines as a signature if a double hyphen precedes it.

Posted by: spudart on Jul 24, 06 | 4:00 pm


Well, I for one would scream like a Beatles fan if I got an email from you.

Just like I did when I got one from The Yarn Harlot.

Posted by: 数据恢复 on Aug 14, 06 | 1:10 am


WHAT IS A HYPEN?

Posted by: JESSICA on Sep 29, 06 | 11:27 am


I sign off my emails with <<matthew>> I usually don't even start a new line or paragraph. It'll go something like this

okay, well I'll talk with you later <<matthew>>

When I got a new job that involves a lot of email communication, it was a bitch to stop myself from doing that at work.

Posted by: on Mar 30, 07 | 3:48 pm


See, I'm signing my mails by using a double hyphen on both the sides of my name, as follows

--Hitler Seimond--

I feel it to be a good practice from my side

Posted by: on Oct 25, 07 | 1:54 am


I some signatures i have seen the flowing

-- John Doe

or
~~ John doe.

if memory server mails thet were sent with the tilde were sent by direction and not necessarily written by the person whose email address you were sending from.

I was thinking there must be some portacal in this but i am yet to find one.

generally I try to always sign with --John

Posted by: JOhn on Sep 14, 09 | 1:47 pm


Welcome
Hi. I'm Matt Maldre. Every single weekday my blog on spudart.org has a new post with an original idea or discovery. Be sure to stop by daily to see what's happening.




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